Various financial aid programs help certain types of businesses and borrower start up franchises. For instance, some companies have programs designed to attract women and minority candidates. Many others offer discounts on franchise fees for veterans who are interested in franchising. You can find a list of options in the International Franchise Association’s VetFran Directory.

It is important to protect your company’s intellectual property (IP). Ever wary of minimizing burn rate, startups may be tempted to defer investment in intellectual property protection. To those who have not tried to protect intellectual property, it feels complex and expensive. Too often, startups end up forfeiting intellectual property rights by neglecting to protect their ideas and inventions.
It's now possible to reach people (customers, clients, subscribers, etc.) based on shared ideals and values. Microbusinesses of one sort or another have been around since the beginning of commerce, but the ease of connecting with people is a new phenomenon. Also, a large percentage of the population is being comfortable with making purchases online. These things create a perfect storm of economic convergence. It's never been easier.
And don’t forget that unlike their independently-owned competitors, franchise owners don’t get to choose when to schedule expenses or which suppliers to work with. Their business model might have been passed down by the franchisor but it’s up to the franchise owner to figure out how to grow the business without endangering profits or failing to cover mandatory expenses.
A franchise gives you the opportunity to have your own business with the safety net of a proven business model. However, the costs of starting and running a franchise can be substantial. The two best financing options to start your franchise are Rollovers for Business Startups and SBA loans. If you’re not sure where to begin you should reach out to your franchisor for help in the process because they should have experience with your specific franchise.
Hi, I am really trying to start my own trucking company doing hot shot services. I know plenty companies that would let me handle their needs but with the cost of living being so high in the city it makes it so difficult to save money to get started with bills and child support. If anyone knows anybody that could help me get a small business loan I would gladly appreciate it.
Thousands of people have become millionaires through their stock options (Facebook being one famous example), making this form of benefit very appealing to prospective employees. The spectacular success of some Silicon Valley companies and the resulting economic riches of those employees who held stock options have made Stock Option Plans a powerful motivational tool for employees to work toward the company’s long-term success.
As a member of the ConsumerAffairs Research Team, Kate Williams, Ph.D. believes everyone deserves easy access to accurate and comprehensive information on products and businesses before they make a purchase. She spends countless hours researching companies and industries before writing buyers guides to make sure consumers have all the information they need to make smart, informed buying decisions.
There is no one right answer to the question of how equity should be divided among a company’s co-founders. But everyone involved should discuss this issue and come to an agreement up front to avoid misunderstandings later on. If you are the original founder and brains behind the idea, a good argument can be made for more than 50% ownership. The split should take into account the following:
I usually don’t provide referrals, but in this particular case it is definitely warranted. Karen jumped through hoops with multiple alternatives until we came up with a solution that provided what we needed. At one time i thought we were at a dead end, but learned that Karen continued to pound away until the right solution surfaced. If you need someone to assist up front with your SBA loan, Karen is a perfect choice.

He is a nationally recognized speaker and blogger on the topics of leadership, communications, decision-making, problem solving, and other critical business skills. An honor graduate from West Point, Mike served in the US Army as a combat arms officer. Before founding his own company, he was an assistant professor at Duke University, a consultant at McKinsey & Company, and an executive at Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro. He is the author of One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership (www.onepieceofpaper.com), Lead Inside the Box: How Smart Leaders Guide Their Teams to Exceptional Results (www.leadinsidethebox.com), and The Elegant Pitch: Create a Compelling Recommendation, Build Broad Support, and Get it Approved (www.elegantpitch.com). Mike's blog and the programs he teaches can be found at www.thoughtleadersllc.com.

Glad to see your comment! For ideas on which franchise you should work with you can check out our articles on the best coffee shop franchises or the best restaurant franchises. Additionally, to make sure you’re finding a strong franchise, you can read our article on the 50 best and worst franchises by SBA default rate. I hope that helps, and good luck with your future business!
The brand you choose to work with may provide upfront estimates of how much it will cost to start a new business and can also give you information on monthly and year-over-year revenue goals and expected progress. This information, if available, is often found in Item 19 of the FDD. However, a franchise is not required to provide this information in their FDD - so speaking with several existing franchisees is always a wise choice. Based on this data and your own projections make sure you understand when your business will break even factoring in both expenses as well as the loan payments and always assume there will be unexpected costs. When determining your loan amount make sure to include working capital to get you through the ramp-up period of the business until the business can support expenses and loan payments. When lenders review your loan application they will pay attention to several key things, but 2 items that you should be aware of are Loan To Value (LTV) and Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR). LTV is a measure of the total value of the loan amount compared to the collateral pledged. Lenders will look at the collateral as a secondary source of repayment of the loan and in many cases with a start-up financing may look for collateral to cover the full loan. In cases where there is not enough collateral the lenders will look to other strengths of the deal. DSCR is a measure of the cash generated by the business available for the loan payments. The higher the DSCR, the better because in the bank's view there will be a cushion of cash just in case there are unforeseen problems or slow periods for the business. A lender will typically look for a minimum DSCR 1.20x or more. If your projections don't show the ability to service debt lenders may shy away from your loan request so it is important to understand the accuracy of your projections.
At ApplePie Capital, we are committed to fair lending. We make our commercial credit products and services available to all qualified applicants on a consistent and fair basis. ApplePie Capital does not condone or tolerate discrimination against any applicant on any prohibited basis under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act or any applicable state or local law. Fair lending principles are integrated into our corporate policies, lending operations, staff training, marketing efforts, and third-party lending relationships.
Supporting both the operation and expansion of a growing small business often requires some additional financial support. Getting a small business loan or grant can help you bridge the gap when you need to make capital investments, increase your workforce, or move to a larger space. To help you decide which type of funding might be right for you, here are a few great small business-financing options:
SBA small business loans. Some banks offer attractive low-interest-rate loans for small businesses, backed and guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Because of the SBA guarantee, the interest rate and repayment terms are more favorable than most loans. Loan amounts range from $30,000 to as high as $5 million. However, the loan process is time consuming with strict requirements for eligible small businesses. Visit the SBA website to see a list of the 100 most active SBA lenders.
At the early stages of your startup, you will likely want to have a small employee team to minimize expenses. A good way to fill in for specialized expertise is to use freelancers or consultants. That way, you avoid taking on employee costs and benefits payments. And there are a variety of sites that can help you access freelancers, such as Freelancer.com, Guru.com, and Upwork.com.
Companies sometimes think that patent protection is the only way to protect themselves. Technology startups frequently ignore the value of non-patent intellectual property. While patents can be incredibly valuable, it does not necessarily ensure that a company’s product is a good product or that it will sell well. Trade secrets, cybersecurity policies, trademarks, and copyrights can all be forms of IP that can be protected.
Then, in What You Need to Know When You Run Your Business Out of Your Home and How to Set Up a Retirement Plan for You and Your Employees, we'll discuss some information that may be relevant to you now-- or that may become relevant once your business has become established. The final four lessons... What You Need to Know about Federal Taxes when Hiring Employees or Independent Contractors, How to Manage Payroll so You Withhold the Correct Amount from Employees, How to Make Tax Deposits and File a Return to Report Your Payroll Taxes. And Hiring People Who Live in the U.S. but Who Aren't U.S. Citizens, ....are for those employers who already have, or who are thinking about hiring, employees. Because this is a virtual workshop, you can choose the lessons that apply to you.
Register your business with the Vets First Verification Program to be eligible for special opportunities to do business with the government. Small businesses that are owned and controlled by veterans and service-disabled veterans, and verified through the program, may also be given priority when competing for federal contracts. Learn how to apply, and find out which documents you will need to submit. You can also find VA-certified business counselors in your state for free help.
Getting money in advance of doing any business is called “mobilization capital.” This means you are looking for capital to help start a business and don’t have customers yet. This is also known as unsecured lending and is typically very difficult to secure. Your best bet in these situations is to try and raise seed capital investment aka friends and family investors. If your hot idea is really as good as you think, you should be able to find friends to join up and start up a company.
If you don’t have a business idea yet but you do know you want to run your business, you might start by looking at our guide on coming up with business ideas. Or, you could consider turning a hobby you have into a full-time business. You could even pursue something in which you have a lot of experience. If you’ve been working in retail for 10 years, why not consider opening a boutique?
Accounts receivable financing. An accounts receivable line of credit is a credit facility secured by the company’s accounts receivable (AR). The AR line allows you to get cash immediately depending on the level of your accounts receivable, and the interest rate is variable. The AR line is paid down as the accounts receivable are paid by your customers.
For the limited time beginning with applications dated July 9, 2018, and ending with applications dated on or before December 31, 2018, the interest rate on cash advances and purchases made on your Business Advantage Credit Line account approved for not less than $10,000 and not more than $100,000 is a fixed introductory interest rate of 2.99% for the first 12 billing cycles from the date your Credit Line account is opened. After that, the interest rate will be a market competitive variable interest rate, based on the Prime Rate, your creditworthiness, your business relationship with Bank of America, and the approved amount for your Credit Line account. Excludes secured loans and secured lines of credit, and unsecured term loans. Origination fee of $150. Annual fee of $150 is waived for the first year of your Credit Line account, and assessed annually thereafter. Enroll in Autopay to make payments on your Credit Line account within 90 days from date it is opened and get a $50 credit to your Credit Line account. The $50 credit will be applied to the account after the origination fee is posted. Other restrictions may apply. Subject to credit approval.
Though the fastest growing entrepreneurs were entering this business model are Millennials. Franchising at a rate that cannot be ignored; the latest Census data shows that 66% of Millennials are interested in entrepreneurship, nearly making up 30% of all entrepreneurs are between 20-24 years old, and over 25% are self-employed. Additionally, they launch 160,000 start-ups each month motivating the IFA (International Franchise Association) to start the NextGen Franchise initiative that recognizes and supports young entrepreneurs. The IFA is going as far as reaching out to this generation while their still in school, introducing them to the benefits and possibilities of franchising offered through education, scholarship, and leadership. Another age group making up a large part of the market are the baby boomers and seniors. More services being developed are quality of life/wellness products, patient advocacy, non-medical home care, and respite care. And lastly, there are an increase in businesses interested in kids and child enrichment that is thriving and showing no signs of slowing down. Each has displayed an interest in getting kids moving, reading, thinking, and believing in themselves. These businesses have provided a sense of accomplishment and community within a supportive environment. Therefore, a trend of development centered around fitness, sports, music, art, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), tutoring, and child care have grown immensely. However, with the trends centering around technology, the food industry, and the distinct influence of individual age groups, franchising is proving to be a flourishing industry with a positive future.
Online personal loans are an option when nobody will approve you for a business loan. Ideally, you’ll borrow in the name of your business – it’s cleaner and more professional that way. But some small business owners can only get personal loans. Try marketplace lenders and peer to peer lenders, which tend to offer competitive rates and quick turnaround on applications.

A lender is primarily concerned about the ability of the borrower to repay the loan. To the extent that a security interest can be given to the lender on company assets (company equipment, property, accounts receivable, etc.), the borrower should be able to increase its chances of getting a loan on favorable terms. Some lenders may insist upon the personal guarantee of the principal owner of the business. That is best avoided if possible as it puts the owner’s personal assets, and not just the business assets, at risk.

General purpose business loans. The most widely used SBA loans, SBA 7(a) general loans can greatly help if you’re investing in a franchise. Because SBA loans are guaranteed by the government, they’re easier to qualify for than traditional bank loans. The amount and rates that you can potentially qualify for may make them worth the extra time and documents needed to apply. Outside of the loan itself, the Small Business Administration offers free tools to help you plan for securing the loan and keep up on your new enterprise once you’ve become a franchisee.

“Every person looking to invest into a franchiseneeds to do a comparison shop. You shop for a car, a tv, a house, and a phone. Why wouldn’t you shop for your business? It’s a larger investment and it is paramount that you need to do this. A lot of franchises don’t make it past 2-3 years, and a lot of that has to do with their comparison process, or lack of it, when they’re deciding which franchise to start.”

An SBA loan has two major disadvantages for franchises. First, it takes a significant amount of time (30-90 days) to fund. Second, you can’t use the funds from an SBA loan to cover many startup costs, including franchise fees. Those will have to be paid as an out of pocket cost. However, if you can live with these two disadvantages, then SBA loan rates are typically the lowest you’ll find. You can use our SBA loan calculator to determine what your monthly payments might be.
Use your retirement accounts (401(k) or IRA) to invest in your business without having to pay early withdrawal penalties or taxes. If you still need more money, this can be used in combination with a SBA loan. The investment into your business may be enough that no collateral is required. Even if collateral would normally be required, an alternative such as a payment reserve and be utilized. Learn more about 401K business financing.
Franchise business loans typically come with more attractive terms than you are likely to find for any other type of start-up business loan. This is because lenders consider the financial stability, business model, and previous success of the franchise parent company when reviewing a loan application. Banks and alternative lenders are finding franchises to be an increasingly attractive investment. In 2011, the SBA reported approval of $1.5 billion in 7(a) loans for franchises, up from approximately $826 million the previous fiscal year. The 7(a) loan-guarantee program is the SBA's most popular loan program.
Trademarks. A trademark right protects the symbolic value of a word, name, symbol, or device that the trademark owner uses to identify or distinguish its goods from those of others. Some well-known trademarks include the Coca-Cola trademark, American Express trademark, and IBM trademark. You obtain rights to a trademark by actually using the mark in commerce. You don’t need to register the mark to get rights to it, but federal registration does offer some advantages. You register a mark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Outside of the typical startup costs, there are different costs that are unique to franchise businesses. First is the franchise fee, an upfront fee to the franchisor for the right to use the company’s branding and model. It can be paid in a lump sum or in installments, and varies widely by industry and company. It will likely to be at least $10,000 – sometimes substantially higher – and is typically nonrefundable. Franchisors are also likely to charge recurring royalty and marketing fees – usually arranged as a percentage of sales at the franchisee’s store – usually 4 to 8 percent for royalties and 2 to 4 percent for marketing.
An SBA loan has two major disadvantages for franchises. First, it takes a significant amount of time (30-90 days) to fund. Second, you can’t use the funds from an SBA loan to cover many startup costs, including franchise fees. Those will have to be paid as an out of pocket cost. However, if you can live with these two disadvantages, then SBA loan rates are typically the lowest you’ll find. You can use our SBA loan calculator to determine what your monthly payments might be.

One of their loan programs is the SBA 8(a) business development program. According to their website, SBA’s 8(a) business development program is specifically dedicated to providing business assistance to entrepreneurs who are members of a socially and/or economically disadvantaged minority group who need help accessing mainstream economic capital. This program is divided into two sections and requires a nine-year commitment. The first four years are dedicated to development, and the remaining five years are a transition stage.

Congress passed the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 to ensure that drivers of commercial motor vehicles are qualified to operate those vehicles. States have the right to issue a driver's license, but they must meet minimum national standards when issuing a commercial driver's license. The Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Program places requirements on the commercial motor vehicle driver, the employing motor carrier, and the states.

You can get an approval decision right after you submit your franchise financing application. Our automated decision-making technology will review your application, and we will let you know if you qualify immediately thereafter. There is no need to waste time gathering up a bunch of your financial statements and copies of your tax returns. You will be happy to know that we look at all credit scores. In addition, you have a limited credit history and still be can a good candidate.
Chris Guillebeau is a writer, entrepreneur, and traveler. His latest book, The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future, is now a New York Times bestseller. During a lifetime of self-employment and ventures ranging from online publishing to volunteer work in West Africa, he has visited nearly every country on earth before the age of 35. Host of the World Domination Summit, an international gathering of creative people, Chris is focused on encouraging individual quests while also “giving back.” His main website, ChrisGuillebeau.com, is visited by more than 300,000 people a month.
We make money when you get the funding you need. Some of the loan providers on our site pay us a referral fee when customers get approved for a loan. We always try to find the best option for you, even if we don’t have a paying relationship with a lender. We also turn down offers from lenders that we feel take advantage of small-business owners. Read more about how we make money.
I am looking into opening a truck parts supplies shop/ body shop repairs/painting. I currently own one semi truck and use it for hauling agricultural products. my credit score is in the 600’s. Would I qualify for some type of loan? The local banks in my area have not qualified my for a small business loan, while others with worst credit than I get approved. The town I live in is small, so it’s like you have to know someone to get approved. If you know what I’m saying.
Qualifying for an SBA loan as a new business isn’t easy. You generally need to have a strong credit score (ideally above 680), some collateral, and a 10-20% down payment. However, a large percentage of SBA loans go to franchises because lenders can easily access loan performance data for franchises and predict the franchise’s ability to pay back the loan.
Startups requiring a lot more funding up front may want to consider an investor. Investors usually provide several million dollars or more to a fledgling company, with the expectation that the backers will have a hands-on role in running your business. Alternatively, you could launch an equity crowdfunding campaign to raise smaller amounts of money from multiple backers.
Small businesses have a tougher time getting approved due to factors including lower sales volume and cash reserves; add to that bad personal credit or no collateral (such as real estate to secure a loan), and many small-business owners come up empty-handed. Getting funded takes longer than other options — typically two to six months — but banks are usually your lowest-APR option.